Russian, S Korean Presidents call for coordinated efforts on N Kor

Moscow, Oct 16 (UNI) Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun today discussed the situation in north-east Asia in the wake of North Korean nuclear test.

''The sides stressed the need for concerted efforts on the part of the international community towards normalising the situation and noted that the recently passed UN Security Council resolution on North Korea calls for a peaceful and political settlement and for a balanced policy from all sides,'' the statement said by the Kremlin Press service said.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russian Parliament, Mikhail Margelov, said sanctions imposed on North Korea under a UN Security Council resolution were justified.

''If the country declares a nuclear arms race to be its national priority, the response by the international community is clearly justified,'' he said.

However, he added UN resolutions did not provide for an economic blockade or other sanctions that could affect the population of North Korea, noting that the ''military-technical blockade'' of Pyongyang will help prevent it from emerging as yet another nuclear power.

Also, the head of the State Duma Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, Konstantin Kosachev, said that the UN resolution will ''send a strong signal to North Korea.'' ''This consolidation of the international community in adopting the resolution is a new element in the situation. I hope that North Korea will heed the signal,'' Kosachev said.

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